The invention relates to an electronic device having connecting elements and a method for producing the same.
Surface mounted technology is a technology for mounting electronic devices directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB). The surface mounted technology has largely replaced the through-hole technology of fitting electronic devices with wire leads into holes in the printed circuit board (PCB).
A surface mounted device is usually smaller than its through-hole counterpart because it has either smaller leads or no leads at all. Surface mounted device may have short pins or leads of various styles, flat contacts, a matrix of solder balls such as a Ball Grid Array (BGA), or terminations on the body.
One type of a surface mounted device comprises a semiconductor device which is mounted on a metallic support (carrier) or lead-frame. The semiconductor device contacts are electrically connected to the lead-frame using bond wires. The backside of the semiconductor device may also be connected to the lead-frame. After connecting the semiconductor device to the lead-frame, the system is encapsulated with a molding compound. Some surface mounted device packages, such as TSLP (thin small leadless package) have metallic supports which are all on one side of the package. Other surface mounted device packages, such as TSFP (thin small flat package) or SOT (small outline transistor), have metallic supports which stand out laterally in a flat or bended manner from the package or the sealing mass. The metallic supports are thermally and electrically connected to the associated conductive lines of the circuit board via soldering.